DUBAI: Switzerland has picked “Who Is Still Alive,” a documentary built from the testimonies of nine Palestinians who fled Gaza, as its official entry for best international feature film at the 99th Academy Awards. The documentary, released in French as “Qui vit encore,” was directed by Geneva-base»»»

GAZA/CAIRO: As children walked into the zoo near Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, they found a lion barely looking back at ​them through the bars of its cage and chimpanzees sitting listlessly in their enclosure.Many of the animals were malnourished, weakened by shortages of food, medicine and vaccine»»»

Unexploded ordnance discovered near kilometre 376 of the Bulgarian section of the Danube River, in the Silistra region, was rendered safe by servicemembers from a military unit in Shumen, under the command of Major Angel Ivanov, the Defence Ministry reported on August 17. Two mortar bombs, measurin»»»

Ras Al Khaimah: Ras Al Khaimah is turning its residents and citizens into tourism promoters under a new initiative that encourages them to invite friends and relatives from abroad to discover the emirate. The Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday launched the ‘RAK Ambassador’ i»»»

A new contingent of 40 Romanian firefighters has taken over mission in Greece from colleagues who, over the past two weeks, have supported the Greek authorities in firefighting and monitoring high-risk areas in eastern Athens, in the Attica region."The first contingent, also comprising 40 firefight»»»

Television remains the dominant source of information in terms of trust, while Facebook remains the leading social media platform, according to an opinion poll commissioned by Expert Forum from the Political Rating Agency."Television remains the dominant source of information in terms of trust, inc»»»

Checks on the wealth of individuals have become increasingly prominent in the activity of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) in recent years, with the most frequent irregularities identified involving funds whose origin could not be justified, according to an analysis by EY Romani»»»

The Ministry of Finance (MF) on Monday borrowed RON 800 million off banks in one issue of benchmark bonds of a residual maturity of 47 months, at an average yield of 6.65% per annum, according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR).The nominal value of the issue was RON 800 million»»»

Four U.S. officials, two of them former ambassadors to Romania, are questioning George Simion’s U.S. visa in an opinion article published by the Jerusalem Post, arguing that his compatibility with the values the United States seeks to defend should be reviewed. They accuse Simion of repeatedly echo»»»

Romania urgently needs political stability and a fully functioning Government capable of taking decisions, the economy needs predictability and a stable fiscal framework, while the deterioration in living standards, pressure on jobs and social vulnerabilities no longer allow concrete measures to be»»»

The Romanian Senate is prepared to convene for a new extraordinary session following the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Integrity Law and to rapidly complete the necessary legislative steps, Mircea Abrudean, President of the Parliament's Upper House, announced on Monday."Romania retains nearl»»»

Over 120 people are affected by the amendment to the Integrity Act, which provides for the loss of their mandate or post in the event of final court rulings concerning breaches of the rules on incompatibilities and conflicts of interest. Among those who will lose their posts is the mayor of Timisoa»»»

The spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), US Colonel Martin O’Donnell, said that the drone shot down in Romanian airspace during the night between Saturday and Sunday appears to be Russian, according to Reuters. 'Further details regarding Sunday’s incident are s»»»

Turkish military aircraft took part last week in a NATO air defence and missile defence exercise in the Romanian airspace, informed on Sunday the Turkish ministry of defence, says Anadolu.In a press release published on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, the ministry states that its air for»»»

Sydney, Australia: Japan will conduct tests of hypersonic missiles and other projectiles on Australian soil, the two countries' defence ministers said on Tuesday as they deepened military cooperation, including with a co-developed laser system. Richard Marles said alongside his counterpart Shinjiro»»»

If you live in or will be travelling to Sharjah over the next few days, take note. Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority has announced the closure of the road from Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan Bu Alian Square to Saeed bin Obaid Al-Jarwan Square, from the side of Al-Jazat region. This closure will las»»»

Dubai: The UAE's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has rolled out a fresh set of rules governing scholarships for Emirati students, in a move aimed at sharpening outcomes and tying them more closely to the country's economic priorities. Ministerial Resolution No. (179) of 2026, a»»»

Capitalise on that mid-week momentum you have going on with meet-ups with friends, movie nights and more. And just so you don’t have to search the web for ideas, we looked up options for you. Whether you want to express your (un)happiness with the world or celebrate your place in it, there’s someth»»»

The colors, flavors, and festivities of India came alive at LuLu Hypermarket, Riyadh Avenue Mall, Murabba, as Lulu India Utsav 2026 was officially launched. The festival was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador Vipul, joined by Nemil Nazir, commercial director Lulu Hypermarkets Saudi Arabia, along with»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree approving new regulations governing the Presidential Affairs Department and setting the maximum staffing levels for its central office and subordinate organizations. Under the decree, the maximum staff of the central office of the Presidenti»»»

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was ratified by Tennessee, giving it the two-thirds majority of state ratification necessary to make it the law of the land. The law took effect eight days later. 1 of 3 | A member of the League of »»»

A high school student carrying two pistols shot to death a fellow student before killing himself on Tuesday in an attack in a southern Philippine high school campus that he livestreamed using a body-worn camera, police and other officials said. It was the second fatal school shooting in the country»»»

Dubai: A family in Kerala’s Pala is mourning the loss of a husband and wife just days apart. Kurian Joseph, 73, of Vazhayil in Puthenpallikkunnu, Pala, died on Saturday, according to local media reports. His funeral services were being held at his residence on Monday when his wife, Shirley Kurian, »»»

BOSTON: President Donald Trump-backed World Liberty Financial is collaborating with a Hong Kong-based venture offering artificial-intelligence models developed by Chinese companies the US administration has flagged for national security concerns. WorldClaw, founded earlier this year, offers custome»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Ahmad Abu Rasen, 22, has joined Belgian club Sint-Truiden from Al-Hilal on a free transfer. Last season Sint Truiden finished third in the Belgian topflight, and Abu Rasen joins as back-up to Japanese goalkeeper Leo Kokubo who has enjoyed a fine campaign for the club.»»»

BENGALURU: Oil prices rose on Tuesday as prospects receded for a deal to end the Middle ‌East war, with Iran saying it would adopt a more offensive stance and the US ruling out extension of a ceasefire deal, heightening worries about energy supply. Iran will shift to a “fully offensive” military po»»»

WESTFIELD: LIV Golf has confirmed that the league’s 2026 season finale will celebrate an Indianapolis Champion, Season Individual Champion and top-three finishers, and the Team Champion at the LIV Golf Indianapolis Championships. The four-day stroke-play event will take place from Aug. 20 to 23 at »»»

BANDAR ABBAS, Iran: Aboard his boat moored along the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian fisherman Mohammad-Amin mended a torn fishing net after a long day in waters that have long sustained his livelihood, but are now shadowed by the threat of death. It’s been less than a month since the 47-year-old resumed»»»

DAMASCUS: Unidentified aircraft on Tuesday struck an out-of-service military airfield in northwest Syria where forces from the country’s defense ministry are present, a security source told AFP. “Early on Tuesday morning, unknown aircraft bombed the Abu Duhur military airport in Idlib province,” th»»»

Traffic is heavy at the Kalotina border crossing with Serbia in both directions for passenger cars and the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing with Türkiye outbound for trucks, the General Directorate of Border Police said on its website. The information is current as of 6:00 a.m on Tuesday. Traffic i»»»

Washington, USA: OpenAI has unveiled a new feature in the ChatGPT application for macOS computers that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to learn from a user's activity on their device, including clicks, keystrokes, and various interactions. The feature, called Computer History, creates a timeli»»»

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Two students, including the suspected shooter, are dead following a shooting Tuesday at a junior high school in the southern Philippines, officials said, marking the second school shooting in the Southeast Asian country in as many months. The shooting occurred at the private Ateneo»»»

RAK Academy is celebrating academic success of its Class of 2026, marked by A Level results announced this August, following the Academy’s 100% IB Diploma achievement rate released in July. A Level Results reflect a remarkable performance with 100 per cent of students achieved A–A* in English Langu»»»

Singapore: Gold rose for a third straight session on Tuesday as fears of a US interest rate hike next month eased, with investors awaiting ‌minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting for fresh clues on the monetary policy path. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $4,431.09 per ounce, while US gold futu»»»

Singapore: Oil prices rose on Tuesday as prospects for a Middle East peace agreement faded after the US ruled out extending the ceasefire, fueling concerns about energy supplies. Brent crude futures climbed 27 cents, or 0.3%, to $91.14 a barrel after rising to their highest since July 30 on Monday.»»»

Birth rates declined across Central Asia in the first half of 2026, Anhor reports. In Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the number of registered births has decreased significantly, while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have shown a slight increase. A total of 711,300 children were born in four countries in the »»»

Pobeda Peak in Kyrgyzstan, where Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina died last year, is littered with the remains of climbers. Alexander Yakovenko, chairman of the Russian Mountaineering Federation’s commission on classical mountaineering, told journalists. According to him, about 900 people have r»»»

Doha, Qatar: Lusail Sports Club has announced a series of strategic partnership agreements with leading companies and institutions for the 2026-27 sports season, at a ceremony held at The Torch Doha, yesterday. The partnerships involve Qatari Diar, Aspire Zone Foundation, Doha International School,»»»

A traffic accident involving a passenger car and a private ambulance service vehicle occurred in Bishkek. According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened at the intersection of Akhunbaev and Tynaliev streets. As a result of the collision, an ambulance operated by Vedanta Clinic overturned onto its si»»»

Additional landscaping is planned at Manas International Airport after the main reconstruction work is completed. New trees and lawns are expected to be planted closer to autumn. Altynbek Mambetov, Director for Infrastructure and Regional Development at Airports of Kyrgyzstan OJSC, said. According »»»

President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 33%, its lowest point of his presidency, as growing numbers of Americans fear his war with Iran could become a prolonged conflict and rising energy costs deepen pressure on the White House. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, completed Monday (August 17), »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Diamond Exchange (QDE) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Diamond Exchange of Singapore, the Shanghai Diamond Exchange and the Tokyo Diamond Exchange during the 41st World Diamond Congress in Singapore. The agreements reflect QDE’s strategic focus on develo»»»

Doha, Qatar: The volume of real estate trading in sale contracts registered with the Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice in July 2026 amounted to QR1,859,383,090. Data from the real estate analytical bulletin issued by the Ministry of Justice revealed that 1,485 real esta»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Doha held a Flag-Raising Ceremony to commemorate the 81st Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia yesterday at the multipurpose Hall (MPH) of the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST). The ceremony was »»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Emadi Model Educational Centre continues to hold its weekly “Educational Thursday” programme, offering a range of Quranic, educational and cultural activities aimed at strengthening Islamic values and helping young people make constructive use of their time. The programme has been h»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Pakistani community in Qatar, in coordination with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Ministry of Culture of the State of Qatar, patriotically presented ‘The Trinity of Culture, Poetry and Melody’. Held on August 14, 2026 at the historic Bayt Al Sulaiti cultura»»»

Doha, Qatar: Nesto Hypermarket is set to officially open its first branch in Qatar, marking a significant milestone in the group’s expansion in the country. The grand opening ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 19 August, 2026, at 4pm at the Old Passport Office Building, Al Gharrafa, Doha, bring»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is carrying out works to prepare connections to the stormwater drainage network on Street 284, along with kerbstone works on Waab Al Naba’a Street, as part of the remaining road and infrastructure works project in Mebaireek (Package 2) in Rayan area»»»

Doha, Qatar: Medical education should go beyond technical skills by giving students greater opportunities to hear honest accounts of uncertainty, setbacks and challenges from experienced clinicians, according to a new paper published in the latest issue of the Qatar Medical Journal (QMJ). The paper»»»

Ukrainian armed formations, ignoring the norms and principles of international humanitarian law, carried out deliberate strikes against medical facilities and medical transport in Russia on August 10-16, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said. Ukrainian forces are using »»»